July 7, 2006 by Roots Canada

A week in the world of

Issue 46 – July 7, 2006 WORLD CUP MANIA

PRIDE IN HER ROOTS

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA...

Italian-Canadian Marissa Roberto shows who she’s rooting for in this weekend’s title match, with her Italy Soccer Jacket, top seller of the Roots United line

But movie' s cast and crew carry Roots

DOING THE RIGHT THING Jennifer Palacious comes through for a good cause

CAUGHT IN THE ACT

Alert retail staff foil ' quick change' scam artist 1

SCORING WITH THE WORLD CUP Intensity of month-long soccer fiesta leads to huge hit for Roots BEHIND THE SCENES

Prada may be part of new hit movie but its producers buy Roots for actors and crew

TEEING OFF WITH WAYNE

Leather bags donated for The Great One’s charity golf tournament

A HOLIDAY WITH MEANING

Account Manager volunteers at charity camp in aid of children

IN TUNE WITH THE MESSENGER

Roots provides bags to music giant for major conference

FAR AND WIDE FOR CANADA

Roots goes the distance for country’s birthday

‘QUICK CHANGE’ ARTIST'S PLOY FOILED

Alert staff in Toronto store prevent con man from stealing money

THE RIGHT PACES

Roots sponsors Super Walk to help in fight against Parkinson’s

CELEBRATING SPORTS FOR ALL

Roots outfits Team Toronto for competitions in Chicago and Montreal

GREAT MOMENTS IN RETAIL

Spotlighting the top-performing stores in June

DOING THE RIGHT THING

The latest in our series on Roots employees who help the community

ON THE FRONTLINES

Our ongoing series for retail staff on making a difference in Roots stores

Departments FRESH INK NEW AND NOTEWORTHY SPREADING THE WORD MOMENTS THAT MATTER UP FRONT ON THE MOVE OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS GREEN TIPS HEALTH TIPS SPECIAL DELIVERY

Editor: Robert Sarner The Source is published every week by Roots Canada Ltd. We welcome letters from readers for publication. Please address all correspondence to The Source, Letters to the Editor, Roots Canada, 1400 Castlefield Ave., Toronto, Ontario, M6B 4CR or by email to rsarner@roots.com Letters may be edited for length and clarity. Each issue of The Source is also available, in an abridged version, on the Roots website at www.roots.com www. roots.com

As World Cup mania reaches its peak this weekend with the title match between Italy and France, Roots has already emerged a clear winner vis-à-vis the international soccer tournament. Sunday’s game may be the culmination of the month-long sporting extravaganza, but it’s also an opportunity to take stock of the huge success of the Roots United collection which greatly surpassed sales

expectations since its launch in late May. Thanks to the intense interest in Canada, especially in cities with large immigrant communities whose respective home countries were competing in the World Cup, the Roots United racked up staggering numbers. According to the latest sales figures, the Roots Italy shirt proved the most popular, followed by Portugal, England, the Netherlands and Germany. Roots staff were anything but immune from World Cup fever. At both the head office in Toronto and in many stores across Canada, games were shown on TV monitors often capturing the attention of employees. Senior Art Director Ilich Mejia traveled to Germany to get closer to the action. Dressed in a Roots United shirt, Ilich attended the England - Ecuador match in Stuttgart along with Matthew Budman and 50,000 other spectators. (See photo above). The trip proved highly memorable for Ilich, who kicks a mean soccer bar himself. "Having worked on the World Cup ad campaign for the Roots United collection, the trip was extremely exciting and rewarding," says Ilich. "It was cool to see so many people come together for the love of sport. We met people from many parts of the world -- Argentina, Ecuador, England, Mexico, Australia and of course Germany. The whole World Cup experience was great. It' s kind of sad that it all ends on Sunday." Closer to home, in a related Roots World Cup event earlier this week in Toronto, Roots took part in a fundraiser for the Right To Play charity. It was held at the Brassaii restaurant where the many guests watched the semi-final match between France and Portugal. During the event, two soccer balls signed by Brazilian soccer star Ronaldo and the entire Juventus Team were auctioned to raise funds for Right To Play for which Roots also donated various prizes. 2

BEHIND THE SCENES Prada may be part of new hit movie but its producers buy Roots for actors and crew Devils may wear Prada but the cast and crew of the new movie carry Roots. This thanks to Wendy Goodman, the Los Angeles-based Roots sales representative. Released last week and enjoying great success at the box office, The Devil Wears Prada stars Meryl Streep as the tyrannical editor of a major fashion magazine. As first reported in The Source (Issue 39), Wendy successfully linked Roots with the movie when she bagged a deal with 20th Century Fox. It led to Roots supplying 300 suitor bags for use as giveaways for the Prada-centric film’s cast and crew. Coordinated by Mary Jane Saliba of the Business-to-Business Department, the bags were made in the Roots leather factory in Toronto. The nylon bags feature leather handles and an embroidered logo of the movie. TEEING OFF WITH WAYNE Leather bags donated for The Great One’s charity golf tournament This weekend, players taking part in the Wayne Gretzky Foundation’s annual charity golf tournament will receive Roots bags donated for the occasion. More than 150 small customized Banff Bags filled with golf-related items will be presented to participants at the beginning of the event being held at the Angus Glen Golf Course in Markham, Ontario. The bags are made of soft, black leather with contrast ecru-coloured stitching detail. They come with the Wayne Gretzky Foundation logo embroidered on the side and include tan-coloured luggage tags. The tags carry a photograph of The Great One along with a Roots discount card. Funds raised at the event will go to the Wayne Gretzky Foundation, which helps underprivileged youngsters in Canada and the United States to experience the sport of hockey, both as participants in amateur play and as spectators at NHL games. Roots is also donating a custom-made Wayne Gretzky Jacket for a charity auction to be held by Walter Gretzky, Wayne’s father, on Tuesday. A HOLIDAY WITH MEANING Account Manager volunteers at charity camp in aid of children It’s uncommon that someone who has a full-time job devotes his or her vacation time volunteering for charity. Jennifer Palacios, Account Manager in the Business-to-Business Department, is not like most people when it comes to giving of her time to help others. For the past seven years, she has spent two weeks of her annual holiday working at Camp Oochigeas, a summer camp for children afflicted with cancer. “I love it,” says Jen, who first became involved with Ooochigeas in 1999. “The camp gives these kids a chance to be kids and not worry about their sickness.” For the last three summers, she worked as Program Director coordinating activities like swimming, sailing and kayaking. It’s thanks to Jen that Roots first got involved with the charity camp in 2001. Since then, Roots has donated uniforms for the staff at Oochigeas, which is the only residential camping facility in Ontario that offers children sophisticated cancer-related medical treatment.

IN TUNE WITH THE MESSENGER Roots provides bags to music giant for major conference In keeping with the diverse and prolific activities of the Business-toBusiness Department at Roots, especially in the entertainment and sports fields, Roots bags are now accompanying many of the movers and shakers in the music business in North America and beyond. This month, music industry executives attending an international conference in Toronto hosted by the Universal Music Group received a Roots New York Messenger Bag. UMG ordered 180 bags, made of black, Jasper football leather, to be used as gifts at the conference. Based in the United States, UMG is the largest business group and family of record labels in the music industry. It has many of the biggest artists including Bon Jovi, Jay-Z, Mariah Carey, Eminem, Luciano Pavarotti, U2, Kanye West and 50 Cent. Coordinated by Jane Rogers, Product Coordinator, Business-To-Business Department and Sakda Thoprakan, Account Manager, Business-to-Business Department, the bags were made in the Roots leather factory in Toronto and include a UMG logo on the front. FAR AND WIDE FOR CANADA Roots goes the distance for country’s birthday Last weekend, when it came to being involved in Canada Day, Roots was all over the globe, literally. In addition to featuring Canada prominently in stores coast to coast for the country’s birthday, Roots was also present in celebrations much further a field. In Asia, some 10,000 people (including many expatriate Canadians) gathered in central Hong Kong for the 4th annual “Canada D’eh” festivities. Led by the local Canadian Chamber of Commerce, organizers featured the best of Canadian style, culture and food. Not surprisingly, Roots was present. Li & Fung, the Hong Kong-based retail and outsourcing partner of Roots, had a booth at the event where they gave out hundreds of Roots lanyards with whistles, Tshirts, and other related items to Canada D’eh revellers. Closer to home, south of the border, members of the Canadian military who are part of the 6th Space Warning Squadron now based at the Cape Cod Air Force Station in Massachusetts, organized a special reception in celebration of Canada Day. They distributed Roots T-shirts, tank tops and baseball caps as gifts for guests at the event. Roots donated them for the occasion. Meanwhile, the Roots flagship store in Vancouver on

ON THE FRONTLINES

Our ongoing series for retail staff on making a difference in Roots stores Each week, Heather Lambert-Hillen, CoManager of Roots Central in Toronto’s Eaton Centre, offers a new take on what makes customers enjoy shopping at Roots stores. It’s based on her many years working on the retail side of Roots.

Thanks for the memories

By Heather Lambert-Hillen I recently attended the Toronto Eaton Centre Retailers Meeting, which proved extremely interesting. Two important concepts came up in the discussion that I would like to share with you. Marketing directors focused on brand strategy and evoking emotions among consumers. Roots exemplifies these concepts, here’s how: We are a brand and people know it Our customers shop at our stores mainly because we represent a brand and not just any brand. We are not a fad or new to the marketplace. As a company, we are the epitome of quality and integrity. It’s just how we do business. Does your store team truly understand this concept? Do we express this to our customers through what we say, how we treat them and each other, and how we run our stores? If you answered yes to all of the above points, you are helping to strengthen the brand. If unsure, do your research and explore the true essence of Roots. Your customers will thank you for it. Shopping is built on emotions The more customers feel emotionally attached to our brand, store and company, the more likely they will return. I often ask in interviews "Where do you like to shop in this mall?" The answers are usually similar and Roots is almost always mentioned. Why? The answer is simple. Roots evokes positive emotions in consumers. They link us to their first sweatshirt, college, university, gift giving, their first leather bag, their first pair of Crocs and so on. We build memories from the purchases they make. This is a great concept to embrace. What memories are you building for customers today? Are

you creating a tradition?

Thanks to the continual support from all Head Office departments for helping us in the field to build the brand that brings smiles into everyone' s lives.

Robson Street won a prize for its ‘Show your Canada Day Spirit’ window display. The competition was organized by the Robson Street Business Association as part of local July 1st festivities. On Wednesday, Store Manager Mark Farr and his staff celebrated their achievement after they were awarded a certificate, in addition to coffee mugs and gift cards from Starbucks, for their efforts. Mark also paid tribute to Colin MacDonald, Field Visual Merchant, and Jeremy Ruffo, Visual Technician, for making the eye-catching window display so impressive. ‘QUICK CHANGE’ ARTIST FOILED Alert staff in Toronto store prevent con man from stealing money This week, a quick-change scam artist tried to pull a fast one on staff at the Roots flagship store on Toronto’s Bloor Street. Presumably, he was banking on his ploy going undetected. He was wrong. On Tuesday, the suspect approached the front counter to pay for a box of $2.95 mints with a $100 bill. Mid-way through the transaction, he claimed to have the exact change, and tried to snatch the bill back while asking for his change. Sharp-eyed sales associate Maureen Ringlein-Wyatt informed the man that he would receive his change once she received the bill. He refused, asked for his money and quickly left the store. It was a case of déjà vu for the store’s staff. Only a few days earlier, an identical scenario occurred when a man of similar description entered the store and tried to pay for a wallet with a $100 bill. Fortunately, sales associate Patricia De Melo kept her cool during the transaction and foiled his plan. ‘Quick-change’ artists are small-time con artists adept at confusing a cashier into giving them more money back than they should receive. Roots Resource Protection Analyst Victoria Da Ponte says that fortunately it doesn’t happen that often. "It’s important to take the original money and keep it away from them," says Victoria. "You wait for them to give you the change and then do the exchange.” Among the directions given by RP to stores is to always place the cash received from the customer out of their reach, and not to allow them to pressure or distract you. Victoria says the sales associates involved in the two recent incidents did the right thing. “It’s not easy when you’re in that situation because the person is pressuring you, trying to confuse you, and you have to pay close attention to what’s happening.” PACES IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION Roots sponsors Super Walk to help in fight against Parkinson’s For the sixth year in a row, Roots is sponsoring the Super Walk for Parkinson’s in collaboration with the Toronto-based Parkinson Society Canada (PSC). Roots will provide gift certificates of different amounts (including two $500 certificates) for the participants of this charity walk. It will also donate seven Banff leather bags as prizes for the event. There are almost 80 such Super Walks taking place across Canada in September. As part of this initiative, participants can qualify for the National Team Challenge draw for which they need 4 to 10 members who collectively raise at least $1,000. These teams are then qualified to win the Roots Banff Bags made in the Roots leather factory in Toronto. All those participating can also win other Roots-related prizes in a lucky draw. Established in 1965, the PSC is a non-profit volunteer organization helping in the effort to find a cure for the disease and easing the burden of Parkinson’s for both patients and their families.

CELEBRATING SPORTS FOR ALL Roots outfits Team Toronto for competitions in Chicago and Montreal Roots has collaborated with the Toronto Lesbian and Gay Sports Alliance to provide uniforms for Team Toronto representing Canada’s largest city at the Gay Games VII in Chicago in mid-July. The organization promotes sports and well being for members of Toronto’s lesbian and gay community. The Gay Games will run for a week, kicking off on July 15. Roots has created more than 200 uniforms for delegates taking part in the opening ceremonies and in the sporting events. The uniforms include white 100% cotton T-shirts, cotton-polyester double-knit tracksuits, nylon shorts and baseball hats. Coordinated by Jennifer Palacios, Account Manager in the Business-toBusiness Department, all pieces feature a Team Toronto logo. In late July, Team Toronto (again outfitted by Roots) will also participate in st the 1 World Outgames in Montreal. With more than 16,000 participants from 120 countries expected, the World Outgames are set to be the largest international event to be held in Montreal since the 1976 Summer Olympics. GREAT MOMENTS IN RETAIL Spotlighting the top-performing stores in June The sales figures for the past four weeks have now been tabulated and we' re delighted to announce, drum roll please, that in June the Roots store in St. Bruno, Quebec has earned the title of the ‘Store of the Month’ among company stores for going way over its sales budget. For its part, the Roots 73 "Eglinton" outlet in Toronto captured top honours for outlet locations. Congratulations to the teams in both stores for their excellent performance. DOING THE RIGHT THING The latest in our series on Roots employees who help the community Roots employees are an impressive bunch, for all kinds of reasons. Every few weeks, The Source spotlights Roots staff who, in their own way, contribute to making the world a better place to live. BC store pools resources to support girl in Africa This month, staff from the Roots store in Kelowna, British Columbia got together to sponsor an underprivileged young girl in southern Africa. Store Manager Lindsay Kern first presented the idea to her nine staff members after hearing about the charity initiative on a television telethon featuring the World Vision Canada relief organization. Through its Hope Initiative sponsorship program, World Vision targets the scourge of AIDS in southern Africa and works to reduce poverty and injustice. The Roots team in Kelowna are donating $40 every month to help Maquinista Rodrigues, a 10-year-old girl in Mozambique through the Hope Initiative. Maquinista comes from an area where the majority of people have AIDS. The sponsorship program will support her daily needs for food, clean drinking water and education. It will also help educate and create AIDS awareness in her community. Lindsay and her team plan to also send her gifts and letters. “I wanted to start something in our store that would bring our team together in a different way,” says Lindsay. “I think doing this together will really strengthen our team and make our Roots experience unique and memorable.” She has put up Maquinista’s picture with her story in the store and will add regular updates for the staff. 6

CLASSIC WINNERS FOR WOMEN Super soft sweats ideal for summer evenings Inspired by the Canadian outdoors, the latest classic fleece zip hooded jacket and the kanga hoody will arrive in Roots stores within the next 10 days. They are part of the Roots ‘Back-to-School’ collection. Designed by Senior Designer, Women’s wear, Jules Power, the hoodies come in down-to-earth, nature-inspired colours like laurel green, walnut brown and rainy blue. Just right to wear at a cottage on a summer night, both styles are made from a cotton polyester fleece blend with a heavily brushed surface creating a soft ' peached'or ' sueded' feel unique to this line of sweats. Other details include a double-layer felt appliqué logo and contrast stitching. The hoodies also include value additions like a velvet ribbon on the inside neck for softness against the skin, grosgrain ribbon on inside back neck and embroidery on the hood. Made for women, the hoodies are available in sizes XS-XL. Retail price: $70 FIT FOR MEN TO A “T” Made in South America with style Humour mixed with nature is the recipe for men’s T-shirts this fall. The first of many upcoming styles are set to hit Roots stores in Canada next week. Designed by Rita Shulman, Senior Designer, Menswear, these Kootenay tops feature fun graphics and

nature-inspired logos. The tees are made from a soft feel 50% cotton 50% polyester speckled-look jersey. Made in Peru, the tees are available in long and short sleeves. The short sleeves model comes with graphic prints on the front. The long sleeves tshirts with a subtle antler-entwined Roots logo can be worn by themselves. They also make great styles for layering combinations. Other details include contrast-stitching. Available in sizes: XS-XXL. Retail price: Short sleeve tee - $36; Long sleeve tee - $46 7

FRESH INK A selection of recent coverage of Roots in the media Globe and Mail, July 6. Roots figured prominently in article on growing popularity of organic products in the clothing industry. The new concept environmentally friendly Roots store that will be opening in Toronto next month is also highlighted. Toronto Star, July 1. In connection with Canada Day coverage, Derick Chetty, a Star stylist, is photographed holding the new plaid Roots shirt coming out in September that he chose as being quintessentially Canadian. National Post, July 1. Diane Bald is featured as one of Canada’s top 10 designers who are asked to name the designer who most inspired them. Globe and Mail, July 1. In item called Great Canadian T-shirts, two Roots Ts are featured: The Pitching a Tent T-shirt, and the red and white sleeveless V-neck with a stylized maple leaf. National Post, July 1. Michael Budman and Don Green featured among newspaper’s choice of Canada’s top 10 creative types who have discovered the triggers that will retrieve our elusive cultural identity. Gardening Life magazine, June issue. Mention of the Roots Patio Furniture line available at Sears. Canadian Living magazine, August issue: Roots leather sac featured as part of fashion coverage. Canadian Retailer magazine, June issue. Article entitled “Betwixt and tween”, mentioning Roots backpacks as part of constantly changing fashion demands of this market. SPREADING THE WORD Guide to new ads appearing this week and next Thurs., July 6 - Now magazine (Toronto) ran a full page colour ad featuring The Big Beaver Sale. Thurs., July 6 - Toronto Star ran a half-page vertical colour ad featuring The Big Beaver Sale. Thurs., July 6 - The Coast (Halifax) ran a third-page black and white ad featuring The Big Beaver Sale. Thurs., July 6 – 24 Hours (Vancouver) ran a half-page vertical colour ad featuring The Big Beaver Sale. Thurs., July 6 - 24Hours (Montreal) ran a half-page vertical colour ad featuring The Big Beaver Sale. Thurs., July 6 - Calgary Herald ran a quarter-page black and white ad featuring The Big Beaver Sale. Thurs., July 6 - Edmonton Journal ran a quarter-page black and white ad featuring The Big Beaver Sale. Thurs., July 6 - Vancouver Province ran a quarter-page black and white ad featuring The Big Beaver Sale.

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS Our weekly spotlight on new positions at various stores The Roots flagship store on Toronto’s Bloor Street will host a job fair next week to hire staff for the new concept environment on Yonge Street scheduled to open in mid-August. The fair will be for all in-store positions including managerial posts. As part of this initiative, interviews will be conducted next Wednesday and the week after at the Bloor St. store. Organized by Laura Clark, Director, Human Resources and Benefits, and Rosemary Eisenhut, Director, Retail, the fair will be coordinated by Brenda Preston, Manager, Roots Bloor, with Jennifer Schmied and Heather Lambert-Hillen, Co-Managers of Roots Central. Amanda Peroulakis, Store Manager of the Bayview store, and Ashleigh Medd, Manager of the Queen Street store, will assist them. Postings of the fair are already on display in all Roots stores in Toronto in addition to monster.com. Other positions available Here is a list of current job openings at Roots stores along with the appropriate contact person. For more information, please refer to the separate email notices sent out recently about each position: Store Manager, Eglinton Outlet, Toronto (Platinum level store). E-mail your resume to Rosemary Eisenhut at reisenhut@roots.com Deadline: Saturday, July 8. Store Manager, Colossus Outlet, Toronto (Platinum level store). E-mail your resume to Rosemary Eisenhut at reisenhut@roots.com Deadline: Friday, July 7. Store Manager, West Edmonton Mall, (Gold level store). E-mail your resume to Samara Snyder at ssnyder@roots.com Deadline: Wednesday, July 12. Store Manager, Burlington, ON (Gold level store). E-mail your resume to Sanjiv Khanna at skhanna@roots.com Deadline: Sunday, July 9.

Thurs., July 6 - Ottawa Citizen ran a quarter-page black and white ad featuring The Big Beaver Sale. Thurs., July 6 - Le Journal Montreal ran a quarter-page vertical colour ad featuring The Big Beaver Sale. Fri., July 7 – 24 Hours (Toronto) will run a half-page vertical colour ad featuring The Big Beaver Sale. Sat., July 8 – The Globe and Mail will run a half-page horizontal black and white ad featuring The Big

Beaver Sale.

Sat., July 8 – The National Post will run a full-page colour ad on the outside back cover of the Toronto section featuring The Big Beaver Sale. Sat., July 15 – The National Post will run a full-page colour ad on the outside back cover of the Toronto supplement featuring current Roots products. ON THE MOVE New appointments and promotions at Roots stores (in alphabetical order) Sarah MacMillin promoted to full-time Keyholder, Bedford, Nova Scotia Adrienne Wilford promoted full-time Keyholder, Waterloo, Ontario UP FRONT What’s in the Roots window displays in the coming days Sale, markdown and promotion merchandise will be showcased throughout the stores. All stores including “Roots 73” outlets carry posters and banners announcing the on-going Big Beaver Sale. STAYING POWER Saluting those who go the distance Over the past few months, various Roots employees marked major anniversaries of their time at the company. By ‘major’, we mean benchmark achievements as in 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 years spent at Roots. We invite anyone celebrating such a major anniversary at Roots to send the relevant information to The Source. This week, we send our congratulations to Elsa De Souza, Senior Designer, Babies for completing 10 years at Roots. MOMENTS THAT MATTER Big developments in the life of Roots staff Julie Wray, Store Manager, Limeridge Mall, Hamilton, recently married Andrew Charters. We send them our congratulations and wish them a long, happy life together. - Please send us details of similar good news and we’ll be happy to publish it in The Source (email: rsarner@roots.com)

GREEN TIP # 12 The latest in our series of easy ways to help the environment Fan-atics: Although the air conditioner is fast and convenient, don’t forget to show some love to its forefather - the floor or ceiling fan. Use fans to supplement the AC. They use less energy and you only need them in the room you’re in. If you must use the AC, don’t forget to clean the air-filters. Clean or replace central and room air-conditioner filters once a month for better efficiency. (Source: The National Post)

HEALTH TIP # 9 The latest in our series of easy ways to stay healthy Drink enough water: You’ve probably heard this a thousand times, but it bears repeating. Aim to drink ½ oz. of water per pound of bodyweight every day to increase your energy, accelerate your metabolism and detoxification. Drinking water also reduces stress hormones that lead to premature aging. It’s especially beneficial to start your day with a large glass of water. Try adding some fresh lemon or a bit of lime juice. It’s good for you and many people find it easier to drink than plain water. Provided by Jeff Hirst, a professional trainer, co-owner of Training Zone, and a former Olympic diver. Jeff is an acclaimed sports instructor (who was the captain of the University of Toronto swim team) and is highly knowledgeable about health and fitness.

SPECIAL DELIVERY Recent letters from the world of Roots YOU NEVER KNOW WHERE YOU'LL SEE ROOTS NEXT

It' s always exciting to spot Roots products on television. This week, in one of the latest sightings, a member of our store team spotted a Canada line shirt on Canadian Idol. It was worn by judge Zack Werner on the show featured last Monday. Ashleigh Moffat (Keyholder) Guelph, ON TOP MARKS FOR TANIA

I want to take the opportunity to acknowledge a staff member working in your store in Ajax, Ontario. I recently visited this location and had the pleasure of being assisted by Tania Lukacsovics. She was helpful, knowledgeable and willing to provide honest feedback and suggestions without being pushy or overbearing. Her knowledge of product allowed me to purchase the item that really fit my need. As a result I left the store completely satisfied with my purchase after first being frustrated at not being able to find the right fit. Thanks to Tania, I will definitely be shopping at Roots again in the future. Patricia Clarke Ajax, Ontario SIZE MATTERS

I work at the Roots store at Place d' Orleans in Ottawa and I just wanted to let you know of a certain comment that a lot of our customers mention while ringing through the sale. They often ask our employees: "Roots says they are environmentally friendly, but why are your receipts so long?" Many customers realize that Roots is dedicated to improving the environment but they say that we are contradicting ourselves by wasting so much paper on our receipts. I feel the same way. Yes, I am very pleased to see that Roots does many things to try to improve our environment but our receipts are very long and if possible they should be shortened in order to save the limited number of beautiful trees in our country! Thank your for taking your time to read this email. Renee Leduc Roots store, Ottawa (Place d'Orleans)

Editor’s note: Here’s the reply sent to Renee Leduc

Hi Renee, Thank you for your recent letter. You raised a valid point, one in fact that we are committed to rectifying. When this matter first came up in the past, we discovered, with frustration, that the hardware (receipt printer) in our stores does not allow the type of modification that would shorten the receipts. We are now in the process of sourcing new hardware and software for all our retail locations that, among other advantages, will allow us to resolve this problem. The new hardware and software should be in place and operational in our stores in 2007. We appreciate your letter. We share with you -- and our staff and customers -- the concern for being as environmentally responsible as possible. It’s been a key part of the core values of Roots since Michael Budman and Don Green established the company in 1973. To that end, we are constantly looking to see how we can do even more to lessen our environmental footprint while still maintaining a healthy, efficient business. Please don' t hesitate to write to us again if you have other matters you want to bring to our attention. Robert Sarner Director of Communication and Public Affairs The Source wants to hear from you. In addition to reporting on new developments at Roots, The Source also serves as a forum for ideas and commentary from readers. Please send your letters to Robert Sarner at rsarner@roots.com Letters may be edited for length and clarity. _____________________

THE SOURCE

A week in the world of Roots Editor: Robert Sarner (rsarner@roots.com)